Another's Story- The Lightening Thief
by Supervolleyball12
Summary: Mina Braddock discovered that she was a demigod when she was 13. She traveled to Camp Half-Blood with the hope that there she would find safety and stability. But Mina never expected to stumble upon something no one saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew they were trying to talk to me. Unfortunately, my brain was not processing anything at the moment. The world was fuzzy and every sound was distorted and muddled. Movement lagged jaggedly, like a video being played on crappy internet. For the first time in my life I sat completely still, my ADHD momentarily defeated by utter shock. I tried to focus but there was a distracting rushing sound in my ears, like driving on the interstate with the windows rolled down. After what felt like hours but was truthfully only a few seconds, the world began to come back into focus. The rushing sound died down, and the conversation going on in front of me began to sound like recognizable English again. Two voices, one male and the other female, were attempting to speak to me.

"Mina. Mina! You in there?" The man said. His blurry features were slowly sharpening, big brown eyes, shaggy brown hair, and the ever present Cardinals baseball cap. He was familiar; he was my friend.

"Barker, I think you broke her." The female voice said. Barker! That's who it is, my friend Louis Barker. The girl was unfamiliar. She had sun-kissed blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She was pretty, beautiful actually, and immediately made me feel self conscious. A hand with chipped yellow fingernail polish appeared in front of my nose and snapped. I jumped and the world was suddenly in focus again. Louis Barker and the mystery girl were looking expectantly at me. Had they asked a question? What was the question?

"Well, what do you think?" Mystery girl asked. I didn't know what she was talking about, but all I could think was that my life had been relatively normal only a couple of hours earlier.

5 Hours Earlier

The sky was a field of clear blue, dominated by steep swollen clouds that promised rain. The air was dusty and humid at the same time. A swift wind heralded the coming storm, and made up for the uncomfortable combination of sun and humidity. I sat at a picnic table in the baseball complex. The sounds of the complex surrounded me in a comforting babble. Car engines, conversations, and shouts of "Hey, Batter!" swelled up over the cracks of baseball bats and the cheers of the fans. The complex was just a short walk from my house, and while I had no one to watch, the noise and activity of the ballpark was much preferable to the silence I would find at home. A can of coke was on the table next to me. The air smelled like sunscreen and popcorn, like summer. My foot tapped the ground as I read the fifth Harry Potter book for the tenth time. My mom and I had been in this small Southern Illinois town for eight months. A new record, I think. We never stayed in one place for very long. I had long grown accustomed to new towns, new schools, and new faces. Unfortunately, I never made many new friends. We never stayed in one town long enough for me to make good friends, and eventually I found that staying distant from my classmates and neighbors made it easier to say the inevitable goodbye.

This town was different though. My mom had a boyfriend here. Bill was a nice guy. He treated my mom, Andrea, well. Bill had a pleasant way of speaking, words just rolled off of his tongue, never fully formed; his southern twang was easily heard. When we talked, he spoke to me as he would speak to an adult, not a child. On weekends, he took me out onto the back roads in his truck and we drove fast, exhilaratingly fast, with the windows down. The wind ripped through my hair and an elated scream would tear out of my mouth, only to be left behind in the dust. Bill would let out a woop and go a little faster. He taught me and my mother how to shoot a gun and was the one to rescue us when our car stalled in the big snowstorm over Christmas break. I liked it here. I had a few friends, and a room that overlooked a pretty little pond. I had even let my hopes up that we would stay for once. I hoped that I could start the eighth grade in the same school that I had completed the seventh. I hoped that Bill would marry my mom, and would eventually let me be the one to speed down the back roads in his dented pick-up when I turned sixteen. I hoped for a sense of family that I had never felt before. And I hoped for the ability to come back to the same ballpark tomorrow and sit in the same spot and read the same book. Sometimes hope is futile. I was knocked out of my thoughts and the world of Harry Potter by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Hey, Philomina, what are you doing here?" My hands tightened on the cover of my book, my foot tapped a little faster. I hated my full name. Philomina, it was a horrid. I never told anyone my full name, but Kelly Adams had somehow discovered it. Worse, she knew that it bothered me.

"Don't call me that." I said, looking up from the comforting pages of Harry Potter. Kelly raised her eyebrows innocently.

"What? I thought that was your name." She said sweetly. Kelly was probably the fakest person I had ever met and was one of the only parts of this town that I didn't like. Her foundation made her look like a tangerine and every part of her pretty façade was bought, from her highlights to her fake nails. Her boyfriend of the week was trailing behind her, trying to covertly look at her butt. Her shorts didn't leave much to the imagination after all.

"I've told you before that I don't like to be called that." I told her, slowly turning the page of my book, hoping that she would leave. Kelly sat down, and the boyfriend stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure of his role in this little scenario. I sighed inwardly, she meant to stay.

"But Philomina fits you." I raised an eyebrow at the poorly crafted insult. Kelly knew I thought it was an ugly name. Sensing the weakness of her offensive blow, she changed the subject.

"What are you reading?" She asked, and snatched the book before I could react. The she-devil turned the book over, confusion settling on her face. "What is this?" I roughly yanked the book back.

"It's Harry Potter." I said, "In Italian." Kelly's face was incredulous and for a moment I felt a wave of smugness settle under my skin. The boyfriend looked mildly impressed.

"You know Italian?" She sneered. I gave an exaggerated eye-roll.

"No, Kelly, I was pretending to read Italian. Of course I know Italian." And with that little statement I rose from my seat and walked off, for once in my life getting the last word.

I had found that I picked up languages remarkably easy. It had started with my Mexican neighbor in Texas. The Spanish came to me mostly from listening to the motherly woman speak on the phone with relatives as she babysat me. When she realized how much I had learned, she set to teaching me the finer points. By the time we moved a mere three months later, I was fluent. That was at age seven. Next I learned Italian, which was quite similar to Spanish, from my third grade teacher in Ohio who was astonished to watch me learn the language in six months. Now I was teaching myself German. However, I still enjoyed my copy of Harry Potter in Italian, which led me to read at the complex. Now that Kelly was at the ballpark it was no longer safe and private. I might as well go home. I cut through several backyards to reach my house. It was rundown and shabby looking. There was only one floor and no basement. During the frequent tornado alarms, we sat in the bathtub. However, it was my favorite house I had ever lived in. The other houses and apartments were temporary living spaces. This house was becoming home. My neighbor's ancient dog barked halfheartedly from the shade of an oak tree as I walked into my yard and bounded up the wooden porch steps. I swung open the ripped screen door and set my book on the kitchen table, next to the mason jar of daisies Bill had brought my mother last week. The happy little daisies were slightly wilted now. It was hot outside; the humidity was smothering me so I made a beeline for the tub of lemonade I knew was in the fridge. The refreshing glass was half way to my lips when my mother came storming through the kitchen. I froze. It was four in the afternoon. My mom's shift at the local diner didn't end until six. She shouldn't be home.

"Mom?" I called, trailing down the hall after her, lemonade forgotten on the kitchen counter. I found her in her room, madly throwing her belongings in the patchy suitcase we use. "What are you doing?" I asked frantically. She couldn't be packing. Packing means leaving. I don't want to leave; I like it here. She ignored me, and pushed me to the side as she retrieved her toothbrush from the bathroom.

"Pack your stuff." She said shortly.

"What!?" I shrieked. I small part of me wondered if I was truly her daughter. She stood tall and curvy, while I was tiny and all edges. Her hair was a thick, curly auburn, while I had mousy brown waves that weren't much of anything. Her skin was pale and flawless, and mine was tan and freckled. Mostly, though, she had an insatiable urge to keep moving, while all I wanted was to find some stability.

She paused for a moment. "You heard me. Pack your stuff, we're leaving."

"Mom, no! We can't, I like it here. I want to stay." I pleaded with her. She didn't listen. Already a good portion of her things were in the suitcase. My mom was the master of traveling light.

"Mina, pack your stuff."

"No." I wouldn't leave, couldn't leave. Not again. She froze, hand reaching for the only picture she ever took with us. It was a picture of her and me. I was young, my eyes bright, as though I still thought that the unending moving was an adventure to be enjoyed.

"Excuse me?" She said, her voice dangerously quiet. I swallowed hard.

"I don't want to leave." Her eyes narrowed. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. When she broke it her voice was low and tense.

"Philomina Elaine Braddock, go pack your things right now." Normally, at this, the use of my full name, I would relent and leave to pack. But not today, not this time.

"Why? Why do we always have to leave? Why are we always running? I want to live in one place, Mom. I'm sick of moving. I'm sick of having to start over all the time. I want a family! I thought we had a family this time." I was waving my arms madly and tears were threatening my vision, but I was _not_ going to cry. Mina Braddock does not cry. My mom opened her mouth to say something but I didn't want to hear it. Turning on my heel, I stormed out of the house, past the forgotten glass of lemonade and the daisies that were dying on the table. I stomped across my yard of curling yellow grass and broke into a run when I heard my mom shout my name from the porch. My feet slapped the pavement as I turned onto our road. I was always good at running. I had speed and endurance. I could have been the best on the cross country team, I thought ruefully, if only we stayed long enough for me to join. I didn't realize where my feet had unconsciously taken me until I recognized Bill's home. I slowed and walked up the cracked pathway to his front door. I knocked the secret knock we had made up together. _Knock, _pause, _knock, knock, knock._ I head a shout of "Kid, its open" and entered the house. Bill was slumped forlornly in his favorite recliner. ESPN was on, but he paid it no attention.

"Hey Phils, I guess your mom broke the news to you." He gave me a weak smile that didn't reach his warm brown eyes.

"Can't you talk any sense into her?" I asked desperately. Bill shook his head sadly and my heart dropped.

"You still remember how to shoot a rifle?" He asked. I nodded. "And you remember how to spot a man's tell in poker?" Another nod. "Good. That's all ya need to know in life." Bill stood up, and enveloped me in a hug.

"I don't want to leave." I muttered into his shirt. He patted my back.

"I know, Phils, I know." We pulled out of the hug and he bent down so that we were eye to eye. "I'll miss ya, Kid." He clapped me on the shoulder and told me that I should be getting back to my mom. I nodded. The anger was mostly gone now. It had been replaced by a heavy sadness. Bill stood and offered his hand for me to shake, like an adult. I shook it and we left the goodbye at that. One would think that I would be unaffected by goodbyes by now, but I still hated each and every one. I left the house and only looked back once.

When I got home the house was dark and empty, already reminding me of the state it had been in upon our arrival. My mother had left me a note saying that she went to pick up her last check from the diner and would return home with dinner. I walked down the hall to my room, footsteps heavy with resignation. To say the least, my room was sparse. I could pack everything I owned into one suitcase. As I looked around the little room that I had grown quite fond of, I realized that I would never see it again. My mother and I never visited the same town twice. The anger began to seep back into my bones. I was sick of this. I was sick of the packing, the moving, the short notice, the goodbyes, or more often, the lack of them. And then, I let my ADHD compulsiveness get the better of me. In a flash of white hot rage at my mother and her lifestyle I dumped the contents of my half packed suitcase on the floor and grabbed my school bag. It was an old thing my mom got from the Salvation Army, but it was big and sturdy and hadn't let me down in eight years. My brain went into autopilot and before I fully realized what I was doing, my bag was packed and I was standing in front of the ripped screen door overlooking my backyard. My mother had decided that we were leaving. Fine, I'm leaving. But not with her. I was done with her telling me when I had to pull up my roots, abandon everything and leave. I spared only a second thought to grab my Italian copy of Harry Potter and some money from the jar on top of the refrigerator. And then I walked out of the door. This time, I didn't look back. Not once.

I stopped in the town park. It was small, crisscrossed with jogging trails, and played host to a sad excuse for a playground. At the moment it was devoid of shouting children and, as a result lay under a stifling silence. I slung my backpack into the dust and sat down on a rusty swing. Its' chains squeaked as they took my weight.

"What now?" I asked myself aloud. No answer came to mind, and I toyed with the idea that I probably should have thought this through a bit more thoroughly. The way I figured it, I had three options. The park stood at the edge of town. Where the oak trees of the park gave way to endless rows of corn, and the corn eventually gave way to the Shawnee State Park. I could follow the highway out of town (not an appealing notion), cut through the fields and then eventual forest (where I would inevitably get hopelessly lost), or turn around and head back to town (admitting defeat). The last option was unacceptable. The first two weren't looking that great either. My thoughts were interrupted by an ominous growl. The hairs on my arms stood up as I realized I wasn't as alone as I had thought. Slowly, I turned to face the noise, and almost screamed. Stepping out of the shadow of a thick sycamore tree was a huge, and I mean huge, dog. It had eyes like glowing coals, and looked big enough to snap me up in one massive bite. Judging from its attitude, I felt as though it was considering how to do just that. I stood up slowly, not turning my back to it.

"N-Nice Dog." I stuttered, stepping away from the swings. It took a threatening step forward, still sizing me up. Now I should have known from my unhealthy addiction to horror movies that it is never a good idea to walk backwards, like, ever. I mentally cursed myself for being stupid as I tripped over a root and fell backwards. The dog took this golden opportunity to lunge at me, eyes burning, mouth frothing. I yelped and barely dodged the attack. The breeze the dog created when it flew by me blew back my hair. That was close, too close. I scrambled to my feet and took off. My backpack lay forgotten by the swings. The dog was after me in a heartbeat. Trees and playground equipment flew by in a blur as I ran. Blood pounded in my ears and a single sentence ran on repeat through my head. _I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die. _My lungs burned and my eyes darted frantically around the park as I looked for shelter. I could practically feel the dog's breath down my neck as it chased me. I faked a left and hooked right. The dog fell for the trick and its' momentum sent it flying into the monkey bars. I used the few seconds of reprieve to run through my options. There weren't many. And then I spotted a massive oak with low branches. If I could only get to it, I could climb out of the demon dog's reach. I found only one problem in my plan: the dog stood in between me and the tree. It had finally pulled itself from the bars, leaving them twisted. The look in its eyes told me that I had just made it personal. A snarl twisted the dog's lips and it charged. I tried to dodge to the side again, but this time it threw a paw out. A claw raked down my arm and I gasped as white hot fire flared up along the cut. _Gonna die, gonna die._ I made a beeline for the tree, trying to ignore the pain that was now clouding my vision. I reached the tree and heaved myself onto the lowest branch. The action caused the pain from my arm to flare up again and I gritted my teeth. The dog was only seconds away, and I had to climb higher. _Gonna die._ I made it by mere inches. The demon dog from Hell paced below me, eyes flashing murderously. I sat on my branch and leaned against the trunk of the tree. Deep breaths, I told myself. The adrenalin was wearing off and I realized I was shaking. The pain in my arm came back with a vengeance. I let out a strained laugh.

"I am so screwed." I said to no one in particular. "Great job, Mina, you went and got yourself treed like a raccoon. Brilliant." Time inched by; the demon dog showed no signs of leaving. The pain from my wound had settled into a dull throb.

Suddenly I heard voices approaching my direction.

"Hey!" I shouted, "Help, this dog is attacking me!" The voices paused, and then I could see a boy and a girl running towards me. I recognized one as a friend from school, Louis Barker. But who was the girl? I had never seen her before, which is saying something, because in a town of six thousand you've seen everyone. I waved frantically, and pointed at the demon dog. Louis and the mystery girl jumped back.

"Oh, Styx! That's a hellhound!" The girl cried. A what? The hellhound whipped around at the sound of her voice and snarled. Before I could even comprehend what had happened, the hellhound pounced and the girl rolled to the side. As she stood she pulled a bow from God knows where and knocked an arrow from a quiver that was definitely not on her back three seconds previously. A series of twangs sounded through the air and four bronze arrows sprouted from dog's neck. The hellhound yowled and burst into fine gold dust. I pinched my good arm. Considering what I had just seen, there was a good possibility that I had passed out from blood loss and was hallucinating. Louis jogged over to the base of my tree with his awkward gate while the mystery girl gathered her arrows.

"Mina, is that you? Oh, gods, you're hurt!" I was too dazed (and convinced I was hallucinating) to notice that he had used gods in plural form. Mystery girl joined him by my tree.

"Can you get down?" she asked. I nodded and gingerly began to descend. Once my feet touched the ground the last of my strength finally left me and I started to collapse. Mystery girl- I needed to stop calling her that and find her name- caught me and led/carried me to the nearest picnic table. Louis sucked his breath in through his teeth when he caught sight of the gash on my arm.

"Here, let me take a look at that while you tell us what happened." The girl said kindly, apologizing as I winced when she touched my arm. I told them and Louis went to go fetch my backpack. While he was gone, she pulled a water bottle and a rag from her own pack. She wet the rag and handed me the bottle to drink what water remained. I took it with my good arm and drank gratefully. She began to gently clean my arm and I soon saw that the cut wasn't as bad as it looked. Louis returned with my backpack.

"Does your mom know you're here?" He asked. I looked down guiltily and explained the situation. Mystery girl and Louis exchanged what seemed to be a series of significant looks. My fingers drummed the paint chipped table anxiously.

"You're not going to make me go back, are you?" I blurted out.

"No, you can come with us, if you want." Louis said. He and the girl smiled at me reassuringly. I almost said yes immediately, and then stopped myself. What was I doing? Sure, Louis is my friend but I didn't even know the girl's name.

"Actually, it would be best if you did come with us." The girl added.

"Where are you going?" I asked. She and Louis exchanged another meaningful glance.

"A camp, of sorts. It's the only safe place for people like us." I frowned. What was that supposed to mean? I voiced my question. Mystery girl bit her lip, thinking.

"Ok, don't freak out."She then proceeded to tell me the oddest, craziest, most impossible thing I've ever heard.. And that's how I ended up sitting on an old park bench, staring blankly at two people who were looking at me expectantly. I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern if I was the victim of some elaborate practical joke (or if I needed to make a call to the local nuthouse).

"Well," Mystery girl repeated, "what do you think?" For a moment, I couldn't find any words.

"You think I'm a what?" She sighed, with a look on her face that said _did-you-not-pay-attention-to-anything-I-just-said_?

"A demigod. You're a demigod."


	2. Chapter 2

We spent the night in some random barn that we had spotted from the road. It was old and musty and smelled like mold, but it was better than sleeping in the cabin of Louis' truck. I spread out a spare blanket in the barn loft and the girl- I had learned her name was Kayla- called first watch. Louis and I didn't complain. We ate a small dinner that consisted of pop tarts and trail mix (not the best combination), and then settled down for the night. Few words were said, and I knew that Louis and Kayla were giving me some space so that I could digest everything they had unloaded on me.

After the "You're father is a god" revelation I had been pretty shocked. I had accepted the fact that my father was some deadbeat who ran when my mother became pregnant. Learning that what I had been told was wrong had me reevaluating pretty much everything. Sure, I was still angry at him, he had still left my mom and me, but somehow it was different now. After I accepted the fact that they were either telling the truth, or weren't giving up the joke for some time, my first question was: who. They didn't have an answer for me though. Apparently I have to be claimed. I did learn that Kayla was a daughter of Apollo, hence the bow, and that Louis was a satyr. I had refused to believe that little statement until, in his frustration, Louis pulled off his shoes and showed me his hooves. Well, that explained his awkward walking. After Kayla and Louis finished explaining how I was basically half god, and know that I knew monsters were going to hunt me down and try to kill me, and that we needed to get to the only safe place for half-bloods, we left the park. The three of us bundled into Louis' truck. It was a junk truck. The paint was peeling and there were several long deep scratches trailing down the length. The engine could be heard from a mile off and it couldn't drive faster than seventy five miles per hour without vibrating violently. I had ridden in it before, and was not thrilled to be riding in it again. Louis now informed me that the scratches weren't from another car like he had said before, but from a particularly nasty griffon. We drove east, heading to New York, which was where Camp Half-Blood was hidden by the Mist. The Mist. That was another concept that I was finding difficult to wrap my mind around.

My thoughts kept whirling around my head at tornado-like speeds, and I thought sleep would never find me. However, I did eventually fall asleep, only to be woken some time after midnight by a large clap of thunder. The promised storm had finally reached us. Kayla stood at the entrance of the barn, bow held loosely in her hand, peering out at the night sky. A jagged flash of lightening streaked across the sky, throwing the shadows into sharp relief and a second, grander, boom rolled over us. Louis jerked upright.

"Wha's goin on?" He slurred. His hat sat crooked on his head, one of his horns was visible.

"A storm." Kayla gave us a wry smile. "I hope you didn't leave your windows down, Louis, it's going to be a wet night."

The rest of the night was miserable. The barn did little to keep the rain out, and great peals of thunder and flashes of lightening left little opportunity for sleep. The storm began to give out at around four in the morning, and I was happy to see the sun finally show its face after our long night. We set out nearly after first light, anxious to get moving. Louis drove and I sat in the passenger seat. We let Kayla sprawl out as much as she could in the back. She had taken the first watch last night, and therefore had even less sleep than we did. Louis and I sat in comfortable silence, occasionally making quiet small talk so as to not wake Kayla, who, according to Louis, was grouchy in the morning even on a good day. The countryside passed in a blur and we crossed the state border into Indiana by ten o'clock. Kayla woke up around noon and we decided to stop for lunch. Louis turned off of the interstate at the next town.

"So guys… what's it going to be?" He asked as we slowly drove down Main Street. It was a small town; it reminded me of my home-No. I had to stop thinking of it like that. At the moment I didn't have a home. My new home would be wherever I chose.

"McDonald's." I said immediately. I was craving a burger. Less than ten minutes later we were arranged comfortably in the bed of Louis' truck parked in the McDonald's parking lot, wolfing down our food.

"So," I said around a mouthful of fries, "about how long does this trip take?" Kayla sucked noisily at her straw before answering.

"If nothing goes wrong we have around ten more hours of driving." The older girl answered. Louis bleated nervously and began to eat the wrapping of my burger. I shot him an odd look and Kayla shook her head slightly, as if to say _don't ask_.

"And if something goes wrong?" I prompted. Kayla finished off her chicken nuggets.

"Let's hope that doesn't happen. Hopefully we'll be at camp by tomorrow, or the day after that at the latest." Kayla said. We finished our lunch and began to climb back into the truck.

"What's New York like?" I asked. "It's one of the only states I've never been to."

"What do you mean?" Louis said as he turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, deafening as always. I shrugged uncomfortably.

"My mom and I move around a lot. I've lived in almost every state." I said, watching the buildings grow fewer and far between as we left town. Kayla threw her feet on the dashboard of the truck and settled into the seat.

"That is mildly impressive." She said, twisting to look at me from the front.

"Well, it's not that fun." I grumbled.

"Feet off the dash!" Louis snapped, swatting at Kayla's shoes. She ignored him.

"Aw, come on. Moving around like that has gotta be exciting. I mean, I have lived in one town my whole life and it is _so_ boring. I wish my mom would do something interesting for once." I frowned.  
"I would give anything to stay in one place for more than a year." I told her, stuck a hand out to the console and cranked up the music. Hopefully they would get the message that the conversation was over. Kayla seemed to get the hint and turned to fiddle with the radio, searching in vain for a station that wasn't playing Country music.

I pulled out Harry Potter and was soon absorbed in Harry's detention with Umbridge. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Louis lean over and physically push Kayla's feet off of the dashboard. We made good speed for the next hour or so, the silence filled with Kayla singing along to the radio when she recognized a song, which was nearly every one. It reminded me of the long hours my mom and I spent on the road, traveling from town to town. And while I probably would have tried to tune out my mom's off-key singing, I didn't mind Kayla. She was actually very good. Thinking about my mom sent a pang of regret through my chest. She was probably worried out of her mind. Had she called the cops? Would she think that I was kidnapped? Or would she realize that I had run off? I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt the car slow to a stop. I shut my book, I hadn't been actually reading for a while, and looked up. Traffic.

"What time is it?" I asked. One o'clock was the answer.

"It's too early for us to be hitting Indianapolis rush hour traffic." Kayla said. Louis groaned as the minivan in front of us inched a few more feet forward. It all went downhill from there. An hour and a half later, when we finally pulled free from the traffic, I reached one conclusion: ADHD demigods and being trapped in the cab of a small truck don't mix.

Ten minutes in we gave up on I Spy when my shoe was the chosen object three times in a row. Fifteen minutes in Kayla was trying, and failing, to count the number of petals in a patch of Queen Anne's Lace that was growing in the ditch of the interstate. Yes, we were moving that slowly.

25 minutes in we were engaged in a rather intense battle of Rock Paper Scissors.

30 minutes in Louis declared that he had to use the restroom.

"Louis, are you serious?" Kayla shouted. Louis blushed and muttered something unintelligible.

"Why didn't you use the restroom when we ate lunch?" I asked.

"I didn't have to go then." Louis defended.

"Well, you're gonna have to hold it." Kayla said resolutely, making a broad sweeping motion at the mass of cars we were sandwiched between.

40 minutes in-

"I have to go to the bathroom so bad!"

45 minutes in-

"Ughhhhhhh."

"Well here is an old soda bottle if-"

"What is wrong with you?"

I began to translate Harry Potter from Italian to German on a napkin. It was good practice.

50 minutes in-

Kayla broke the small lapse of silence we were experiencing.

"Is that kid staring at me?" We all looked to the car to the left of us, where indeed, a small child was staring directly at Kayla, his nose pressed flat against his window.

"What is with that?" Louis muttered. Kayla leaned forward and backward in her seat. The boy's eyes followed her like a cat follows a mouse.

"That's creepy as Hades."

"Make him stop."

"He isn't blinking." I noted mildly. We were all relieved when traffic once again shifted, taking the odd child out of sight.

1 hour in-

"Louis, can I paint your nails?"

"Kayla, I'm driving." A small pause, "Mina, can I paint your nails?" I looked up from reading an old car magazine I found on the floor of the truck.

"What color?"

"Yellow, of course." I wrinkled my nose.

"Ew, no." Kayla's normally sunny face cooled.

"Excuse me?" Her tone was polite, with shivering undercurrents of malice. From the driver's seat Louis looked frightened. "Yellow is my favorite color."

"I'm sorry?" She just turned away, the atmosphere grew awkward. Louis started humming.

1 hour and 10 minutes in-

"Louis if you don't stop humming this instant I will take an arrow and shove it through your throat!" Louis shot Kayla a dirty look and pushed her feet off of the dash for the fifth time.

"Violent much?" He muttered. Kayla looked up from repainting her nails.

"What did you say?" Louis bristled, finding the rare courage to argue back.

"I said, vi-"

"Hey, are they watching a movie?" I interrupted the brewing argument. They followed my finger to where it was pointing. Through the back window of the minivan in front of us we could clearly see a movie being played.

"Oh yeah! Finding Nemo!" Kayla exclaimed, argument forgotten. We spent the rest of our time in traffic unashamedly watching the movie being played in the other car.

Louis actually had the nerve to be upset when the traffic broke up and the minivan pulled away from us.

"No! We haven't found out if Marlin ever finds Nemo again." He cried. Kayla and I stared at him.

"Are you saying that you have never watched Finding Nemo before?" I asked.

"Ya, so?" Kayla just shook her head and looked away

"That's pathetic."

We pulled over at the first opportunity and Louis had barely put the car in park before he ran off to the bathroom. I threw the door open and all but collapsed onto the pavement.

"It's been days!" I declared dramatically. Kayla rolled her eyes and slid into the driver's seat. I looked around, stretching. We were at a rundown gas station in the foothills of some mountain range whose name I didn't care to know. The hazy peaks cast a purple shadow over the land.

"Hey Mina, go buy more trail mix." Kayla said. She leaned out of the truck window and handed me some cash. "I'm going to fill up the tank." I nodded and walked, on slightly numb legs, into the gas station store. A blast of cold air hit me as I opened the door. A soft bell rang through the seemingly empty store. The inside of the store was washed out with sickly yellow lighting; the only sounds were the buzzing of flies and the gentle hum of the refrigerators in back. It was certifiably creepy.

I walked deeper into the store, rubbing away goose bumps. I couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was watching me. I threw a glance over my shoulder, but the store was still empty.

"Get a grip." I told myself and scooped up the stuff we needed from the shelves. I turned, my arms full of granola bars and trail mix, and found myself face to face with another person.

"Agh!" I jumped back, the granola bars went flying across the aisle. The person, a girl, laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you." She said apologetically. She looked like a teenager, but she was probably the prettiest teenager I had ever seen outside of a movie. Her sandy blonde hair was perfectly straight, and swept elegantly off of her shoulders. She was tall, tan and had round brown eyes. Her smile revealed pearly white teeth. The red employee vest she was wearing identified her as Kelli.

"Um…its fine, you didn't…I…uh." I stammered, and she laughed again. It was a nice laugh, not too loud, seemingly genuine. I hastily picked up the food.

"Do you need to check out?" Kellie asked and I nodded. We moved to the register at the front of the store, my cheeks flushed a bright red. I dumped my items on the counter and Kelli began to slowly ring them up.

"Are they your brother and sister?" She asked conversationally, nodding at the truck, which was visible from the door. Kayla and Louis were standing next to the truck, they appeared to be arguing.

"Oh, no, not really. They are just my friends." I said, though it occurred to me that Kayla at least, was technically related to me. Heck, she could even be my sister, since I still didn't know who my father was. I really doubted that though, because I couldn't sing well to save my life.

"Oh, well they seem nice." She said. "Especially that Louis, he looks good enough to eat." I was halfway through nodding absentmindedly before I actually registered what she said. I never said any names.

"Yeah…wait-what?" I looked up at her sharply. She began to transform before my eyes. I watched in horror as her hair flickered into flames and her eyes turned red. Her lips bared in a hiss and I saw that her previously perfect teeth were now fangs.

"I usually don't kill girls, but getting you out of the way will be entirely too easy." With that she leapt over the counter. Her talons dug into my shoulder and I hit the ground hard. I brought my knee up into her stomach, and Kelli rolled off of me, wheezing. I scrambled to my feet; she was quick to follow.

"What are you?" I asked wildly as I ducked under a swipe and ran down another aisle. Kelli tore after me.

"You half-bloods are so ignorant these days!" She screeched and vaulted the rack of barbeque sunflower seeds I had thrown over. "I'm an Empousa!" I turned sharply and came to an abrupt halt. I was trapped in a corner. Kelli slowed as she saw my predicament. A cruel smirk played across her lips.

"What did I ever do to you?" I asked, willing my voice not to shake. My back hit the wall and I felt something protruding from it. My fingers closed around a smooth cylinder and I grasped it, hoping that it was what I thought.

Kelli laughed that same nice laugh like earlier.

"It's simple," She said, and slowly walked closer to me, "you exist." With that she lunged forward and I swung the fire extinguisher desperately. It made contact with her head with a sickening crack. The empousa flew sideways into the wall and sagged to the floor, unmoving. I wasted no time in running back to the truck, pausing only to scoop up a pack of M&M's that I had intended to buy. Because even though I almost just died, I still had priorities. I tore out of the store and across the parking lot. As I neared the truck, now gassed up, I caught a snippet of Kayla and Louis' argument.

"-and the rubber ducky incident-"

"Oh, would you let that go already? Holy Hera, it was two years ago!" Louis cut in angrily.

"I _will not-_" Kayla began, but I interrupted her.

"We gotta go! We gotta go now!" I exclaimed as I reached the truck. Both of my companions' faces showed bewilderment as I pushed them into action.

"Mina, what the Hades is going on?" Kayla demanded. She paused, half way into the truck, taking in my disheveled appearance.

"No time! I'll explain…" I was cut off as an unearthly shriek sounded from inside the gas station store. Kelli burst out of the glass doors, sending one swinging crazily off of its' hinges. Her flaming hair burned brighter than before and her eyes screamed murder. Beside me Kayla paled.

"You're right. Time to go." We all scrambled into the truck and Louis put his foot on the gas. The tires protested loudly as we peeled out of the gas station. New black skid marks now scarred the pavement. I watched from the back window as the furious form of Kelli grew smaller and smaller. Kayla turned around in the front seat to look at me.

"Just what happened in there?" I caught my breath before answering.

"Well, you see, I was attacked and-"

"No shit, Sherlock. What happened?" Kayla interrupted, ever so rudely. Louis cast a worried glance over his shoulder. I glared at her.

"I'll tell you, if you stop interrupting me." I said pointedly. The daughter of Apollo huffed but remained silent. I quickly filled them in on the sequence of events. Kayla looked as if she were about to comment, but Louis spoke up first.

"What did you say the empousa's name was?" He asked eyes still on the road.

"Kelli. Why?" His bushy eyebrows shot up.

"I'm impressed you managed to hold her off with no weapon then. Most untrained demigods would have fallen to a senior empousa like her."

"You know her?" Louis nodded and Kayla made a face.

"She is infamous among us satyrs. She is…" He paused, searching for the right word, "not nice." Kayla snorted.

"That's not the word I would have used." The blonde said. There was a short pause.

"What's an empousa?" I asked. I wished I hadn't; as they went on to explain how the empousai were basically female vampires with one goat leg, and the other made of bronze. Well, that explained why she was wearing pants.

"Oh." I said in a small voice. Paranoid, I once again looked out the back window to make she we weren't being followed. Satisfied that we were still safe, I opened my bag of M&M's.

Louis sniffed.

"What are those?" I held the bag of candy close to my chest protectively.

"M&M's." I answered slowly. Kayla whipped around to face me.

"Where did you get those?" She demanded.

"Back at the gas station." The _duh_ at the end of the sentence was implied. Kayla held out her hand expectantly.

"Well, let me have some." It was cute how she thought I was going to give up any candy. I scoffed.

"I risked my _life_ for this candy!"


	3. Chapter 3

By the time dinner rolled around we were deep in the mountains of Pennsylvania. We turned off of the interstate in search of food, as my trip into the gas station store had been so spectacularly disastrous and unhelpful in every way. The interstate exit led us to one of those towns that are so small that Main Street is the only street. A crooked wooden sign welcomed us to Gallispy, Pennsylvania, population: 431. However, the number had been sloppily crossed out and corrected to 433. Congratulations on the twins, I guess.

Every building in Gallispy was the same: wooden and rustic, square structure, wide front porch. As we slowly cruised through it, I saw that it largely consisted of houses with various pieces of furniture littering the lawn, resale shops, and a post office. A small, squat building labeled City Hall sat next to a sketchy looking tattoo parlor. Why a town -no- village needed a tattoo parlor was beyond me. Kayla cast a dubious eye over our surroundings.

"This place looks like a real winner." She said.

"I've lived in a few towns like this before." I commented and frowned at the memories. "It's as bad as it sounds."

"I doubt that we'll even find a McDonald's here." Louis put in mournfully.

We ended up at a restaurant on the outskirts of town. The mountain air was cool and refreshing. The setting sun had already slipped behind the neighboring peak, so the light was weak. Crickets and Cicadas chirped in the bushes, and fireflies already pierced the gathering darkness as we crossed the parking lot. The restaurant itself, Big Mama's BBQ, was an ugly building. The sign was partly crushed, as if someone had hit it with a truck and the outside walls were painted an ugly, sloppy, red. Kayla wrinkled her nose.

"Ugh, it looks like the Ares cabin painted this place." She said and Louis nodded in agreement. I was confused, but decided I didn't want to know. The bushes surrounding the restaurant were littered with beer bottles, and a few men gathered around an ash tray a few feet from the front door. They remained largely silent as we passed. One of them muttered something about taxes and the rest grunted halfheartedly. The place was so dirty and unwelcoming that we almost turned around. However, the smell coming from inside was absolutely heavenly. And, eventually, our stomachs won out over our common sense. Once we entered the restaurant the beer bottles in the bushes and half-crushed sign made sense. Big Mama's BBQ doubles as a bar. Louis, Kayla and I made our way over to the family friendly side of the restaurant and seated ourselves at a small booth in the corner. A waitress with frizzy brown hair came over to take our drink order.

"What can I get you folks to drink?" She drawled lazily. We all ordered water, since we were on a budget, and she scrawled down the order. Her eyes darted around the premises and her foot tapped like she wanted to be anywhere but here. She left, and the three of us fell into a comfortable silence as we studied the menu.

"It actually all sounds pretty good." I admitted grudgingly. "But I think I'm going to have to go with the classic BBQ." Kayla looked up from her menu, startled.

"Wait, you already read the entire menu?" She asked, awed. I frowned. What was so special about that?

"Yeah. So?" Louis looked at me oddly.

"Do you not have dyslexia?" I shook my head.

"What?!" Kayla exclaimed loudly. It came out louder than she intended and she slouched down further in her seat as several heads swiveled to stare at us. "But all demigods have dyslexia and ADHD." She hissed in a raised whisper. I shrugged.

"I have ADHD, all right, just not dyslexia. I can read perfectly fine." I paused. "Maybe it's because I'm so good with other languages."

Louis gave me an odd look and Kayla muttered under her breath about the unfairness if it all.

"What do you mean you're good with languages?" He inquired. I shrugged for what felt like the 20th time.

"I just pick up other languages really easily, that's all." Louis looked thoughtful. Kayla was still trying to puzzle out the menu's fancy script. "Does that give you any clues as to who my father is?" I asked hopefully.

"Not really," Louis said and my face fell, "but you'll probably be able to pick up Greek in a heartbeat."

"What do you mean?" We fell silent as the waitress returned with our drinks. She waited for our orders and left again once we gave them.

"Did we not tell you any of this?" Kayla said once the waitress was out of earshot.

"No."

"Man, we suck at this."

"Louis, don't eat the napkins, we're in public."

Kayla and Louis spent the rest of the meal filling me in on everything I could ever want to know about Camp Half-Blood, the gods, and various monsters that want to kill me. After finishing our admittedly delicious barbecue, we leaned back in our chairs, bellies full, tired after a long day of travel, and ready for a nap.

"So, who do you guys think my father is?" I asked as we waited for the check. Kayla bit her lip thoughtfully.

"Well, we can't rule out Apollo." I opened my mouth to protest but she kept talking. "I mean, I have some siblings who can't sing well, so your terrible voice means nothing. And even if you don't fit the picture, not all demigods fit the stereotypical image of their cabin." Louis shook his head.

"I get a more Demeter feel from her. Mina, do you like cereal?" Louis leaned forward, as if this question was really important.

"It's alright, I guess?"

"Ok, but on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like cereal?" I stared at him blankly for a minute and Kayla punched him in the shoulder.

"You numskull, we're looking for her father, not her mother." She said over his yelp of pain. "Demeter is a woman." Louis sort of deflated after that.

"Fine then, Kayla, if you're so smart, who is her father?" He shot out. Kayla sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't know. I was never good at placing kids." The conversation was interrupted as the waitress arrived with our check and we quickly paid and left. It was fully dark by the time we settled down for the night. The truck was parked in a rest station a few miles from Gallispy. Kayla and Louis spread our thin blankets out in the bed of his truck, and I took first watch with instructions to wake Louis at midnight.

I sat on the edge of the truck bed, swinging my legs gently as I kept watch. The time passed peacefully. Out here in the mountains the air was clear and cool. The sky was cloudless tonight and more stars than I had ever seen before speckled the heavens. Smiling softly, I imagined that if I only reached a little higher I could touch the starry soup of a sky and stir it with my fingers. If I closed my eyes, and just sat, I could almost pretend that I was back on my porch in Illinois. Even so many miles away the crickets still chirp the same, and the honeysuckle still smells the same, and the breeze still tickles my nose the same. I half expected to hear the creak of the screen door as my mother told me it was time to come inside for the night. But then I opened my eyes to face reality. My entire life had changed within 24 hours. And I knew, deep down, that I would never get that old life back.

Before I knew it, it was nearing midnight, and I was shaking Louis awake.

"Uh…whaa?" He groaned sleepily.

"C'mon. It's your watch now." I said. The satyr just grumbled some more and rolled over. Gritting my teeth, I had to resort to poking him sharply in the side to get him moving. I slid into Louis' blankets as we switched spots and was asleep before my head was down.

In my dream I was sitting at a kitchen table. I vaguely recognized the rickety chairs and moldy cabinets. The light streaming in from the broken window was stained a sickly yellow from the frayed curtain fluttering over it. I was back in an old apartment in Oregon. My mother and I had stayed in this one for five months. The scene changed and I recognized another kitchen, this one in Omaha. We had lived in this apartment for an unusually short time: three weeks. But the odd, bright green carpet always stuck out in my memory. The scene changed faster and faster, showing the countless different kitchens I've seen. Little recognizable features jumped out at me from time to time: the stucco ceiling that was painted to look like the night sky on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the rattling overhead fan in Rolla, Missouri, the rose tablecloth in that little Maryland town whose name I don't even remember. Finally the dizzying shift in location stopped in a kitchen that was painstakingly familiar. The only kitchen I had thought of as home. Nothing had changed, not even the vase of dying daisies. I wasn't alone. My mother sat in a chair across from me, her head in her hands. For the longest time we just sat there, unmoving. And it suddenly struck me how lonely and tired she looked. Abruptly she looked up and our eyes met.

"Mina," She began, "I'm-" I never got to hear what she about to say though, because I was gently being shaken awake. When I opened my eyes, Kayla's face was inches from mine. I jumped involuntarily and she slowly put a finger to her lips. I looked around. Louis was crouched low in the bed of the truck, leaning forward like a hunting dog, nose twitching. A few clouds had rolled over the sky, dulling the moon's light. I could barely make out Kayla's form next to me as she silently packed our things. I looked at her questioningly.

"Louis smells monsters. Big ones." She said in a low voice. My heartbeat kicked up a few notches at those words. Suddenly, a shadow detached itself from the forest across the road. It was huge and vaguely humanoid, with broad, sloping shoulders and thick arms which hung low around its knees. We froze. The thing lumbered heavily down the road, the wind was in our favor. After a few tense minutes, it had walked out of sight.

"I don't believe it." Louis breathed. I smiled in spite of myself. I was so relieved I had the urge to laugh out loud. Kayla frowned.

"It walked right by us." She said. "It didn't even pause."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Louis said incredulously. I kept waiting for the frown to slide off Kayla's face, for her to look as happy as I felt. But she kept staring intently in the direction the thing had gone.

"We could have gotten it." She said. She stood abruptly. "I'm gonna get it."

"What?!" Louis hissed. "Are you crazy? We're in the clear." Kayla adjusted her quiver on her back and gripped her bow tightly.

"You can stay here then. I'll be right back." She said, looking down at us disdainfully. And with she leapt lightly out of the truck. Louis was gaping at her. He looked like he wanted to protest but couldn't come up with the words. Kayla took a few steps and then paused. She turned back and I felt hope that she had come to her senses. Those hopes were dashed almost immediately.

"Wait." She said, and pulled a hunting knife out of the sheath on her belt. "Hold down the fort, kid." The hilt of the knife was offered to me, and, unsure, I grasped it. Seemingly satisfied, Kayla turned swiftly on her heal and ran off. I felt glued to my seat in the truck bed. I wanted nothing more than to follow and help her, but my survival instincts were screaming at me to stay put.

Every time I had faced a monster I had run. Kayla had told me that demigods were often heroes. Heroes didn't run. This, staying put in safety, was just another form of running. It was cowardly. Pushing down my growing fear, I stood on shaky legs. Louis immediately yanked me back down.

"You are not moving a single inch." He informed me but I shook him off.

"I'm not leaving her to face that alone." I said, trying to make myself sound braver and more confident than I actually felt. Fake it till you make it. Right? I stood up again and, imitating Kayla, leapt lithely from the truck. Not bothering to look back to see if Louis was following me, I set off at a brisk walk. My feet moved silently over the ground. I had always been good at being quiet. I needed to get to Kayla as quickly as possible but I couldn't let myself run into this blindly. Surviving the other attacks had been pure luck. I had been all defense. Now, I was going on the offensive. I gripped the knife tightly in my hand. Its weight had felt awkward at first but I was slowly growing accustomed to it. The celestial bronze let off a faint glow and I held it low to the ground so as not to attract attention. Every nerve in my body was on high alert.

The night was deathly still. Too still. The fear threatened to rise up again and I tamped it back down. Suddenly, a deep shout, almost a roar, and the all too familiar twang of Kayla's bow sounded up ahead of me. The clouds shifted briefly in the sky and in the added light I could see them. Kayla was desperately trying to keep her distance and find an opportunity to take a shot but the giant-thing was faster than it looked. It roared again and threw a massive fist at her face. Kayla rolled to the side but wasn't fast enough. The thing's fist caught her bow and flung it to the side, where it lay splintered in the dirt. Kayla backpedaled frantically; her hand flew to her hip, only to find an empty sheath.

I ran, trying to get to the thing before it got to her. Kayla's only close range weapon was in my hand. I wasn't fast enough. The thing swatted at her. She went flying, much like her bow, and landed hard. I could hear her gasping as the wind was knocked out her lungs. She clutched her ribs in pain.

The brute of a thing advanced on her eagerly, sensing victory. I desperately wanted to call out to distract it from her, but I couldn't stand to lose the edge of surprise. It had been no more than a minute since the scuffle had begun. In my mind though, it had stretched into an eternity. An eternity that passed in the few steps it took me to reach the thing. I slashed at its' back with the knife, probably not the most strategic place to hit it, however, I was too short to reach its neck. I put a lot of force behind my strike, and was shocked when the blade was all but deflected by its' thick skin, leaving only a thin scratch. The force of the deflection sent the knife clattering out of my hand.

The brute turned to face me; rage twisted its misshapen features. Cautiously, I walked backward; my heart pounded in my ears. It lumbered slowly towards me. Beady black eyes sized up this new opponent. I tried to angle my steps back towards the knife, which lay, glowing softly, behind the giant. However, it seemed to tire of this circling, and lunged at me. Relying on instincts I didn't know I possessed; I ducked. The meaty fist missed me by a hair. Another fist was soon to follow and I found it was all I could to avoid getting the daylight punched out of me. I was feeling pretty good myself until a throw clipped my shoulder. It sent me spinning and I landed in the dirt with a dull thud. I gasped; pain flared up and down the left side of my body. I shakily got to my knees as the giant jumped in for the kill.

I saw it coming. There was no way to avoid it. I hadn't been fast enough. I stared into the giant's lumpy face as it brought its fist down on me. Somewhere to my right I could hear Kayla shout _NO!_

And then the giant was stumbling past me; its fist having swung harmlessly through empty space. Had it missed? That wasn't possible. I stood, frozen in shock. The giant however, was not so frozen. He turned, confusion written clearly on his face, and came at me again. It looked determined not to miss again.

It didn't.

I wasn't even sure where I had been hit. All I knew was that one moment my feet were on the ground, and the next they were not and that my whole body hurt. The world was blurry and held itself at an angle that shouldn't be possible. My head felt like a freight train was running through it, full speed ahead, and whistle screaming. I vaguely registered the fuzzy mass that was the giant growing nearer. I tried to stand and found I couldn't. My eyes closed involuntarily, and I waited for the final blow. It never came, however, and I was unconscious before I could wonder why. 

My sense of touch came back to me first. I was on my side, cheek pressed against the cool, cracked leather of Louis' truck. A gentle swaying motion further supported my theory that I was in a vehicle moving down the highway. The pain came back a second later. I was sore everywhere, but it was bearable, and nothing compared to before. My hearing came next as I became aware of voices near me.

"When will she wake up?" I heard Louis ask, concern coloring his tone. There was a slight pause before I heard Kayla's answer.

"For the last time, Louis, I don't know. She received a pretty nasty blow to the head." Kayla replied tightly.

"You don't think there will be any head trauma, do you?" He asked. Kayla sighed.

"We got some nectar into her pretty quick, didn't we? The last of our nectar, might I add." There was another pause in which I could almost hear the disappointed look Louis was giving Kayla.

"C'mon man, I'm not a doctor." She said. "I'm not as good as any of my siblings at this medical shit. Hades, I'm not as good as my siblings at anything." She muttered the last part.

"Is that why you did it?"

"Did what?"

"You know."

"I'm pretty sure I don't."

"Kayla…" There was a swollen pause in which the tension was almost palpable. After some time Louis spoke again.

"You think you have something to prove."

"NO-"

"You think you have something to prove." Louis repeated calmly. "And you go searching for ways to show everyone that you can be a fighter. You do this all the time. You didn't have to go after the giant last night." _Ah, so I've been out all night._ I thought dryly. _Lovely._

"I don't have anything to prove. To anyone." Kayla said stubbornly. The truck ran over a bump in the road and I groaned at the movement.

"Mina!" Kayla exclaimed. I pealed my eyelids back to look at her. Her sunny hair was disheveled and there were bags under eyes. "Oh my gods, Mina, are you alright?"

"Uh, ya… I think so?" It ended up coming out as more of a question. I lifted myself into a sitting position and looked around. We seemed to be on an interstate or something, no longer in the mountains. _Just how long was I out?_ "Where are we?" I voiced my question.

"We're on the Jersey Turnpike, just about to cross into Manhattan." Louis told me. I leaned forward, pain forgotten, to try to see New York City. Kayla was still twisted around in her seat, her expression was unreadable.

"Mina, what do you remember of last night?" She asked. I thought about it. The whole fight was a blur.

"I remember trying and failing to cut the giant with a knife. And then trying not to get punched. And then getting punched a lot." I summarized. "Speaking of that… how am I not dead?"

"Louis stabbed it from behind but that is not the point. Mina, do you know what you did?" Kayla demanded. My confused expression seemed to serve as an answer.

"First of all, I have never seen anyone move that fast without training. Ever." Louis said.

"Second of all, that punch, the one where you were on your knees, should have, and would have killed you." Kayla cut in. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What's so special about that? He missed." Kayla shook her head.

"No, it should have hit you. I saw, Mina. I saw. His fist went _right through you_." What?

"Are you sure _you_ don't have a concussion?" I asked.

"I saw it too." Louis said quietly.

"What does that mean?" It was a long time before I was answered.

"I don't know." 

**Hey guys, so I would really appreciate some reviews telling me how I'm doing so far. How do you think the characterization is? The dialogue? Plot pace? I think I'm going too slow, so let me know what you think. Please and thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

New York City, to put in simple terms, blew my mind. It was so inexplicably unexplainable that my usual eloquence abandoned me and I settled for mindless gaping. Despite the fact that I had spent my entire life as a glorified nomad, I had never actually lived in a big city before. My mother preferred smaller towns and had avoided the state of New York altogether; looking back on it now, I wondered if it was on purpose. I craned my neck skyward as we drove past the base of the Empire State building.

"Olympus is really up there?" I asked. Kayla looked up from inspecting her chipped fingernails.

"Yeah, on the 600th floor, but you won't be able to see it. The city is shrouded by the Mist." She said.

"Have you guys ever been?" They both shook their heads. We watched as tourists crowded into through the doors to ride up to the "top" of the building.

"The year-round campers are allowed to visit Olympus on the winter solstice. But I go home after the summer is over, so I've never been." Kayla said. Louis just shuddered.

"I have no desire to go up there. The gods scare the bejeezus me." He said, and left it at that. I continued to look at the building. It was still hard to comprehend what I had become a part of. It was still so unreal, impossibilities stacked on impossibilities. The stoplight changed, Louis turned, and the Empire State building slid out of view.

We fought our way through busy traffic. Louis drove impatiently and by the time we had left the city and reached Long Island, both Kayla and I were clutching the seats for dear life.

"What the Hades are you doing, Louis? You're gonna get us killed—Oh Shit!" Kayla had yelled once, throwing her hands protectively in front of her face as we narrowly avoided being flattened by a tour bus.

"I'm going to die." I muttered to myself. "I survived nearly getting my head beat in only to die at the hands of Louis' abysmal driving." Louis scoffed.

"Relax, guys, I've been driving through New York traffic for years." He said, though this information was hardly reassuring. "Besides, I wouldn't do anything to put my baby in danger." Louis patted the dashboard of the old beater fondly. That crazy satyr loved his truck. He had once called it old faithful, to which I had responded with _"Like the geyser?"_ Louis had given me an odd look before assuring me that his precious vehicle was nothing like "some old national park attraction". _"Yeah! That truck is more like an old geezer."_ Kayla had burst in. _ "Get it? Geyser…Geezer…His truck is old…no? Man, you guys are hopeless."_ With that she turned away, muttering about our senses of humor and ignoring the strange looks we were giving her.

We were mostly silent as we continued to drive towards the tip of Long Island, each consumed in our own thoughts. My ADHD was acting up as a bundle of nerves grew in the pit of my stomach. What would the camp be like? Would I fit in? Would I make friends? Would I even get claimed? Louis had told me that it doesn't always happen. I was knocked out of my worrying by Louis' voice.

"You know, there is a rumor going around among the satyrs that we might be getting a powerful new half-blood this summer." He said one hand on the wheel, the other rooting around the console for a tin can.

"Oh?" Kayla raised an eyebrow and I leaned forward, interested. "How powerful?"

"Powerful enough for Chiron to go undercover to scope out the situation." He said, letting out a victory cry when he found what he was searching for. Kayla's other eyebrow joined the first one at the top of her forehead. Louis nodded sagely. "Grover sniffed him out at some boarding school in upstate New York. I think Chiron went in as a teacher or something."

"Wait, Grover found this one? Grover Underwood." Kayla said incredulously.

"Yup. He got the go-ahead to go back out at the end of last summer." Louis mumbled through a mouth full of tin can.

"Well, I hope it just goes better than it did his first time." Kayla said, and leaned back, crossing her arms as if that was all she had to say in the matter.

"What happened his first time?" I asked. Both Kayla and Louis looked uncomfortable.

"It was before my time, five years ago I think-I've only been going for two. Do you remember what I told you about the pact of the Big Three?" The older girl asked and I nodded. "Well, Zeus slipped up and had a daughter, Thalia, and when Hades found out he was furious. He sent a lot of monsters after her, to punish Zeus. Thalia was traveling with two other half-bloods when Grover found her. He was tasked with escorting her, and the two others, safely back to camp." The atmosphere in the truck was somber. Neither of my companions looked as if they wanted to continue the story.

"They didn't make it did they?" I asked.

"Grover and the half-bloods were almost to the camp border when the monsters caught up with them. But yeah, they weren't going to make it so Thalia let the others go ahead to safety. She stayed behind and held off the monsters for her friends. Right before she died, Zeus turned her into a Pine tree. You'll see it when we reach camp; it's still there, protecting the camp and strengthening the borders." Louis continued, "The governing body of satyrs-the Council of Cloven Elders- said that made a few wrong turns on the way to camp. If he hadn't Thalia would still be alive today." Silence settled back over the truck. The story made me feel hollow inside. Could I ever be that brave?

"But let's not talk about any of that depressing stuff." Kayla said abruptly. "We're almost there."

I looked out of the window. We were driving down a narrow side road. A leafy forest whipped past us and the sky was filled with pearly clouds topped with puffy steeples. The truck slowed as we passed a wooden sign mounted on a white picket fence declaring "Pick Your Own Strawberries". We slowed and turned onto a deeply shaded, dirt road I hadn't noticed. This path- it hardly qualified as a road- continued on for a few minutes before widening into what appeared to be a dusty lot. Several cars and a few uniformed vans were parked sporadically throughout the lot. The vans were white, and had Delphi Strawberry Service painted on the sides. Louis parked and we clambered out.

"Some of the older campers drive, so this is where we all park. Over there are the camp vans. We walk from here." Kayla said as she hefted her bag out of the bed of the truck. We walked across the sun-dappled lot to a dirt trail on the other end of the lot. Kayla chuckled as we passed a truck with graffiti on it.

"Oh man, Barker is gonna be so pissed." She said. Louis stifled a very unmanly giggle. The truck was a rusty red color, sported elevated wheels, and looked like it had just driven through the apocalypse. I would have been terrified to cross the owner of that truck except for one thing.

It was covered in glitter. Drawings of butterflies and rainbows adorned the doors in pink paint; the words: love, peace, ponies and the name, Barbie Barker, were scrawled across the windows in shaky English.

"Whose truck is that?" I asked, laughing. We began walking down the path, leaving the lot, and the tampered-with truck, behind.

"An Ares kid." Louis said. "That job has the Stolls written all over it."

"The Stolls?"

"Oh yeah, we should warn you about them." Kayla said. "They're the sons of Hermes. But, unlike a lot of kids here, they're full brothers. They have the same mother and everything. They're a year apart but I can never remember which one is older." She scrunched up her nose, trying to remember. "I think Conner is the older one. Travis is taller though."

"No, Travis is the older one."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Ok, Travis is older_ and_ taller." Kayla amended. "But you need to watch out for both of them. Really, you should look out for all the Hermes kids. A sneaky bunch, they are. Don't trust them-not with your secrets, not with your money, not with your stuff, nothing. Got it?" I nodded.

"You stay in the Hermes cabin until you're claimed, so you could be in there for several weeks, several days, or no time at all." Louis said. "No matter how long you're in the cabin though, stay on guard. That's just a piece of advice there."

"Well thanks, I guess." We emerged from the path at the base of a large hill. Tall grass waved softly in the breeze and a great Pine tree stood at the top like a sentinel. We started up the hill.

"That's Thalia's Pine." Kayla said softly. "It marks the border, right now we're on Half-Blood Hill." I held back a gasp as we crested the hill and the valley below us became visible. It was lush and green, and dotted with trees. One side of the valley was bordered by a dark wood, the other held fields of strawberries, baking in the heat. The buildings that littered the valley looked Greek; there was an arena, an amphitheatre, and an open air pavilion, whose white pillars glinted brilliantly in the sun. A cluster of cabins stood off to one side and in the distance, I could see the ocean.

"It's beautiful." I breathed.

"Isn't it though?" Louis said. I could see that both of them instantly relaxed the moment we crossed the boundary into safety. We walked down the grassy slope towards a large farmhouse. It was painted a baby blue color, with white trim, and a long wraparound porch lined the sides. Its appearance, coupled with the idyllic surroundings painted a quaint little picture. Louis turned to Kayla.

"You can head to the cabin. I'll take Mina up to the Big House." He told her. I assumed that the farmhouse was the "Big House" Louis was referring to.

"Nah, it's cool. I need to sign in anyway." She said and readjusted the strap of her bag. We clomped up the porch steps and through the screen door that was propped open with a door jam.

"Chiron?" Louis called, walking deeper into the house. Kayla went into an office looking room and signed a piece of paper. She handed the clipboard to me.

"Here, sign your name and write new camper next to it." I did so.

Louis poked his head through the doorway.

"C'mon Mina, Chiron is out on the porch." He said.

"I'm going to head over to the cabins. Mina, word of advice," I turned to face Kayla, who was already half out of the front door, "don't make Mr. D mad." And with that she disappeared.

The two men on the porch were sitting at a small cards table. One was in a wheelchair. This man turned to face me with a good natured smile on his face. He wore a tweed jacket and had dark hair, paired with a short beard. The other man glanced up only to scowl deeply at me, before turning his glare back to his cards.

"Great," He muttered, "another brat for me to deal with." The man in the wheelchair shot him a disapproving look before settling his gaze on me.

"Chiron, Mr. D, this is Philomena—"

"Mina."

"—Braddock. Kayla and I found her in Illinois. She was being attacked by a hellhound." Louis said. "Mina, this is Chiron," He motioned to the man in the wheel chair "and this is, um, Mr. D." Louis looked nervous in the presence of the plump man. Chiron smiled at me warmly.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, child. And thank you, Louis, for escorting her here safely." He said. Louis nodded absentmindedly, still watching Mr. D warily. A thought suddenly popped into my head.

"I thought you were supposed to be a centaur." I blurted out, and then blushed. Mr. D rolled his eyes and Chiron chuckled.

"I am, the wheelchair holds my bottom half and grants me easier access to the house." He rose from the chair slowly, and I watched in awe as the blanket fell away and a horse body emerged. "Mr. D, is there anything you would like to say?" The man looked up from his cards, startled.

"Oh, yes, well welcome, I suppose. Welcome, Minnie." He said sourly.

"Mina." I corrected.

"Whatever." Mr. D looked from his cards, to the score on a piece of paper, back to his cards. "Tell me, Mary, do you know how to play Pinochle?" I shook my head.

"I know how to play Poker." I offered. Mr. D looked disgusted. Shamelessly, he scooped up Chiron's cards and inspected them.

"Bah, you win again, Chiron." He scowled and stood up. "Louis, I wish to speak to about an assignment." He said and walked off, not bothering to check if Louis followed.

"See you around, Mina." And with that, Louis scurried after Mr. D. Chiron stretched his legs, as if they had fallen asleep.

"So, Miss Braddock, I assume you have been acquainted with our world?" I nodded, looking out over the valley. Campers in orange shirts were everywhere.

"Excellent, we can skip the orientation video." I raised an eyebrow at this but didn't ask. We began walking towards the cabins.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to show you around camp. I just returned yesterday and need to put some things in order. However, I will show you to the Hermes cabin, where you will be staying until you are claimed." Chiron said. His hooves clopped softly through the grass.

Out of all the cabins I saw, the one we stopped in front of was in the worst shape. It looked how I imagined a typical summer camp cabin to look. It was large, built with wooden beams. There was a wooden porch at the front, which was littered with the oddest combination of items. I saw skateboards, empty bottles of spray paint, and a surprising amount of whoopee cushions among other things. A muscular kid who looked to be about my age sat on the porch steps, fiddling with a prism. When he saw Chiron he stood up respectfully.

"Hello, Butch. Is Luke in there?" Chiron asked. Butch glanced at me before answering. I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"No, I'm not sure where he is." The boy said. Chiron looked unsurprised.

"Will you please escort Miss Mina into the cabin and have Travis and Connor give her a tour of the camp then?" Butch frowned but nodded. Chiron smiled before turning to me. "Well, this is where I leave you then. I hope you get settled in comfortably." He thanked Butch before trotting off further into the camp. An uncomfortable silence stretched in between me and Butch.

"Come on then." He said gruffly as he bent and scooped up the prism before walking to the cabin door. "You know her your parent is?" I shook my head and he sighed. I thought I heard him mumble something like _figures._

Butch threw the door open loudly and we stepped into the cabin. I took in the room. Twelve bunk beds were pushed against the walls, and the remaining floor was covered in sleeping bags. Kids were everywhere. There was such a ruckus that our entrance was unnoticed. Several young girls were poring over celebrity magazines. A pillow fort was being constructed on the tops of some of the bunk beds. A redheaded boy was somehow sleeping through the din, and as a result, was being drawn on with permanent marker by two boys who appeared to be twins. Butch rolled his eyes and pounded on the door loudly.

"HEY! Everybody shut up!" He yelled, and silence fell over the cabin. I wanted to hide as every eye in the room fell upon me. "This here is Mina. She's new-"

"Claimed or Undetermined?" One of the many faces interrupted.

"Undetermined." A groan went up. We stood there awkwardly as everyone stared at us a minute more, and then they lost interest and when back to their various activities. Butch led me over to the two boys with the marker. They looked up guiltily as we approached.

"Can we help you?" The taller one asked. The sleeping boys face was covered in black lines.

"Chiron says show her around." He gestured at me and left, leaving me stranded with two strangers.

"If you were wondering, he's always like that." The shorter twin said and held out his hand. "I'm Connor." He hooked his thumb at the other boy. "This is Travis."

"It's nice to meet you." I said warily, Kayla's warning echoed in my head. Travis- or was it Connor- capped the marker.

"Looks like we're done here." One of them said, looking down at their work with satisfaction.

"Well, Mina, let's find a spot where you can dump your stuff and then take a tour!" The other said enthusiastically. I tightened my grasp on the strap of my backpack.

"I think I'll keep my bag with me, thanks." I said. The twins grinned.

"Oh, you'll do wonderfully in here."

**As usual, please review!**


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